Violin master Jean Luc Ponty returns with an unsurprisingly strong collection of tracks that covers his diverse musical interests and demonstrates once more why he is nearly unparalleled in the world of contemporary violin. While Jerry Goodman remains a
staple player of note and Mark O'Connor continues explorations into the strange, known and unknown, and bright new hope Joe Deninzon continues his climb toward the top, Ponty remains a consistently brilliant and consistent voice in the violin community. True, The Acatama Experience suffers from occasional lapses into smooth jazz
territory (let's keep in mind that it's more of a veneer than a larger underlying problem) via tunes such as "On The Way To Bombay" and "Parisian Thoroughfare," but there's still plenty of vintage and forward-thinking Ponty here. "Premonition" recalls the
glory of Birds Of Fire-era Mahavishnu, "Point Of Know Return" inspires with its free-floating piano figures and breezy acumen, "Desert Crossing" takes us to the classical concert hall and the gorgeous "Last Memories Of Her" calls to mind another master, Stephane Grappelli via its unbridled beauty and stirring melody. "Still In Love" and "Euphoria" at times smack too much of right now but on the whole Ponty has given us a reason to live and to hope for the ongoing future of jazz.
Track Listing
1. Intro
2. Parisian Thoroughfare
3. Premonition
4. Point Of No Return
5. Back In The '60s
6. Without Regrets
7. Celtic Steps
8. Desert Crossing
9. Last Memories Of Her
10. The Acatama Experience
11. On My Way To Bombay
12. Still In Love
13. Euphoria
14. To And Fro